Your Turn — Sept. 21, 2013

Updated 5:08 pm, Friday, September 20, 2013

Photo: McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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A police officer guards the front gate at the Washington Navy Yard the day after Aaron Alexis shot 12 people. A reader wonders how society can balance the rights of the mentally ill with the need to keep the public safe.

A police officer guards the front gate at the Washington Navy Yard the day after Aaron Alexis shot 12 people. A reader wonders how society can balance the rights of the mentally ill with the need to keep the

A college friend and fellow Korean War veteran from Dallas visited San Antonio last month, and I would like to share part of the email I got from him:

He wrote, “A delightful and unsuspected thing happened to me on the way back to the hotel after lunch. Driving south on Broadway I realized that the car AC was not cooling properly. I was at a stoplight on Broadway and noticed a sign, Cavender Cadillac Service, one block south. I pulled into the service bay and a very attentive service person came over and greeted me and I told him to check the coolant level. He did and it was low so he put in almost a complete gallon. He closed the hood and asked if I needed anything else. I said yes, I need the ticket charge so I could go pay the cashier. He said, 'No charge' and pointed to my license plate. It reads 'Disabled American Vet.' He said, 'Thank you for your service.' I was totally surprised. What a generous and kind gesture. This has never happened to me before.”

Does anyone, realistically, think they can build this streetcar system for $280 million? Cost overruns (and this will happen) historically run more.

If this will be so profitable, why hasn't a private business stepped up to build this, like they do for toll roads?

Myron Bishop

More confusion

The Syrian situation keeps getting more tangled and confusing, and President Barack Obama's vacillating style only seems to add to the confusion. Somebody said it's time to “bring in the clowns!” Well, don't bother — they are already here.